Car-door



(No Model.)

.J. SMITH. GAR 1100B;

No. 468,703. Patented Feb. 9,1892.

3:7 7 WITNESSES 2 lNVENTOl? i "m W) J Z YW f6 y ATTORNEYS UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SMITH, OF POOLER, GEORGIA.

CAR-DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,703, dated February9, 1892. Application filed May 23, 1891. Serial No, 393,805- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN SMITH, of Pooler, in the county of Ohatham andState of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement inCar-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to the sliding doors of freight-cars, and has forits objects to provide a car-door which will contain means for affordingfree ventilation to the interior of the car and when necessary enablethe close sealing of the ventilator, thereby affording a combined .closedoor and ventilator, avoiding the use of a special door to ventilate thecar.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an outside view of the improved car-door detached from acar. Fig. 2 is a side View, enlarged, of portions of the center rail ofa car-door having parts of the improvements thereon. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of the parts shown in Fig. 2, taken on the brokenline 3 3 in said figure, showing slats in closed adjustment. Fig. 4 is across-section of parts shown in Fig. 2 on the same line as Fig. 3 withthe ventilator opened. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of importantfeatures of the improvement, taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 isa partly sectional face View of parts shown in Fig. 5, taken on the line6 6 in said figure, showing the ventilator in a closed condition. Fig. 7is a similar View of the parts shown in Fig. 6 adjusted to seal theventilating portion of the door. Fig. 8 is a detached side view of aneccentric-block that is one of the parts embodied in the improvement,and Fig. 9 is a broken side View of one of the slats used to affordair-inlets in the door and close the same.

The car-d0or frame A is rectangular in form, as is usual, and indimensions is proportioned to the size of the car whereon it is placed,said door being adapted to slide longitudinally on the car by anywell-known method, and thus open or close the door-aperture in the sideof the car, which details, being of ordinary construction, are omittedfrom the drawings.

them.

The frame of the car-door is provided with a center rail a, that isaffixed in place midway between the side rails b and parallel with Aseries of slats c are provided for the closure of the spaces bounded bythe margin and the center rail a, which slats are provided with thetrunnion ends 0, (shown in Fig. 9,) that align with one edge of eachslat. There are socket-holes formed at evenly spaced intervals in theedges of the center rail a and oppositely in the inner edges of the siderails h for the reception of the trunnion ends 0', and the spacesbetween the socket-holes, considered longitudinally of the rails whereinthey are formed, are proportioned to the Width of the slats 0, so as topermit the assembled slats in series to lap, one on the adjacent edge ofthe next, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. On each side edge of the centerrail a, a longitudinally-extending bar (Z is located, which bars are ofsimilar form and are adapted to engage with each slat c of the door,there being a series of notches e cut in the edge of each bar to permitsuch an engagement. To

facilitate the loose connection of the bars cl with the slats c, saidslats are reduced in width, forming a shoulder at c on the end of eachslat that is nearest one of said bars, the reduced portions having oneedge rounded, as at c in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown in the figures named,the lower edges of all the notches e are inclined downwardly, and areintersected at a proper point, where they terminate, by the upper-notchedges, that are of a more abrupt inclination, and form acute angleswhere they join the lower-notchedges. Near the side edges of the barscl, which are entered by the notches e, there are curves formed in theupper-notch edges to loosely conform with and rest upon the rounded edgeof each slat c, as indicated in Fig. 3, such a contact taking. placewhen the slats-are in closed adjustment. The similar bars (Z are joinedtogether by cross-bars d (1 near their upper and lower terminals and areheld parallel thereby, free to he slid a limited distance, whichmovement is controlled in a manner that will be explained. Two opentransverse recesses g g are produced in the center rail a at such pointsremoved from each other and of such a width, vertically considered, thatthe cross-bars d 01 may lie in them and be moved toward either terminalof the recesses,

as may be required for the proper operationof the device. It will beseen that the sliding movement of the connected bars (1 will rock eachengaged series of slats c on their trunnion ends and separate them, asrepresented in Fig. 4, or tightly close them, as shown in Fig. 3, themovement of the bars workin g the slats simultaneously. lVhen theslat-working bars d are moved toward the top rail of the doorframe A, soas to cause the curved surfaces 0 of the slats to be impinged upon bythe lower edges of the notches e, the slats 0 will be elevated andaspace for air to pass through into the car can be thus afforded betweeneach pairof slats in both series of the same. A keeper-plate f issecured upon the center rail a to cover the recess g at its upperend,retain the cross-bar d of the connected bars cl from outwarddisplacement, and allow a free movement of the cross-bar longitudinallyof the recess in which it is seated.

In order to conveniently slide the slat-working bars d, as stated, andretain said bars at either end of their travel, a device is provided,which will be described. There are two crossbars d provided at the lowerend of the bars (Z, to hold them separated properly. Said cross-bars oflike shape are parallel on their nearest edges, and both are located inthe lower recess g of the center rail a, which, as before stated, is ofproper width to allow the bars d to be moved therein. Between thecross-bars mentioned a frame consisting of two similar plates h h and aspacing-strip 71 is introduced, the inner frame-plate h being embeddedin the material of the center rail, as shown in Fig. '5, which willprevent the frame from moving laterally, while a longitudinal movementis permitted. The spacing-strip 77, is preferably curved on its inneredge, as shown in Fig. 7, and secured in place between the plates h h,and to them by the screws 17. A circular disk m is located be tween theplates h h loosely, said disk being perforated eccentrically, as at m,in Fig. 8, to receive the body of the rocking shaft n, that is thereinsecured by a nut 01/, the perforation m and shaft portion that entersthe same being preferably given a square form to prevent the disk fromturning on the shaft. The portion of the rock-shaft n that projectsoutwardly from the frame-plate h is made cylindrical of a suitablelength for a rotative engagement with the cap-plate 0, which isapertured properly to loosely sustain the shaft, the end portionprojecting beyond the plate having a handle 0 secured at a right angleto the shaft and parallel with the cap-plate, which latter is attachedby each end upon the outer surface of the center rail a, extending overthe recess 9 by screws The space between the frame-plates h h is soproportioned that the cross-bars (P will slide between them, thelowermost bar of the pair being adapted to impinge on the adjacent edgeof the spacing-strip 71 when the slatworking bars (1 are in loweredadjustment.

3etween the plates 7L h above the eccentricdisk on a presser-strip p isintroduced, which is curved on the edge that engages the pe slide theplates 71 h along with the presserstrip.

The handle 0' is secured on the shaft n, so as to project at a rightangle to the edges of the center rail a when the eccentric-disk m is inthe position shown in Fig. 6 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereby thecontact of said disk with the spacing-strip 7L2 will cause theslat-working bars d to be slid downwardly and the slats pressed tightlyone upon the other, as indicated in the upper portion of Fig. 3. Thehandle-bar 0 is jointed where it engages the outer end of the shaft '71,so that it may be folded upon a staple or ring-eye 0' when adjusted todepress the slats c, said staple being affixed to a lateral wing of thecap plate 0. Similar staples s are secured to the cap-plate 0 above andbelow at opposite points in a vertical plane or at right angles to orninety degrees distant from the staple r, and it will be seen that ifthe handle-bar 0' is moved upwardly and laterally, so as to peropened orclosed condition, the door as anentirety affording a safe barrieragainst depredators, and when the slats are closed protecting thecontents of the car against the intrusion of the elements, thuscombining in one door all the advantages of a ventilatingdoor withoutrequiring a separate structure.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 Patent, is

1. In a car-door, the combination, with a door-frame adapted torotatably support a se ries of slats, of a set of slats, each having aprojecting trunnion at each end adjacent to one longitudinal edge, and alateral projection thereon that may be engaged by a notched slide-bar torock the slats, substantiallyas described.

2. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a door-frameperforated edgewise in spaced order to rotatably support a set ofjournaled slats, and a set of slats, each having two trunnions orjournaled ends oppositely projected and adjacent to one longitudinaledge, and a lateral projection from a IIC claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters trunnion on each slat near its base, which projectionsare each curved on one side, of a slidebar loosely secured to movelongitudinally on the frame and notched along one edge in series toloosely engage the projections of the journal ends, and a device toslide the bar and lock it, substantially as described.

3. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a frame and a seriesof slats having trunnion ends near one longitudinal edge of each slatanda shouldered projection on one slat end of each slat joining the base ofthe trunnion thereon, of a slide-bar notched edgewise in series toreceive the shouldered projections, and means to move the slide-barlongitudinally, substantially as described.

l. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a frame adapted toreceive journal ends of slats and rotatably support them, a series ofslats having trunnion ends that are nearer one horizontal edge of eachslat, and a shouldered projection on one slat end of each slat at thebase of the trunnion and integral therewith, of a slide-bar havingaseries of angular slats adapted to receive the shouldered projections onthe slats and curved on their upper edges to conform with the surface ofthe slat-.trunnions at their bases, and a device which will move the barlongitudinally and retain it, substantially as described.

5. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a rectangular frameoppositely perforated in series and parallel planes to receiveslat-trunnions and rotatably support them, a series of slats, eachhaving a trunnion projection at each end that axially align in pairs andare adjacent to one longitudinal edge of a slat,and a shoulderedprojection on one slat end of each slat that is integral with atrunnionthereon at its base and curved on one side, of a slidebar havingV- shaped notches in spaced order along one edge, which notches are eachcurved on the top edge near the edge of the bar they enter to receiveand engage the trunnions and shouldered projections on the slat ends,and a device engaging the slide-bar near one end, which by manipulationwill slide the bar and rock the slats, substantially as described.

6. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a door-frame havinga center bar and perforated edgewise within to receive the trunnion endsof series of slats and two sets of trunnioned slats, each having aprojecting shoulder on the trunnion that engages the center bar, of aslat-moving device composed of two parallel slide-bars having notchesthat loosely engage the shoulders on the slat-truth,

nions and joined near the ends and loosely secured on the centerframe-bar, a cross-shaft, aneccentric thereon and frame therefor, whichis located between joining cross-bars of the slide-bars, and a lever,which is on one end of the shaft, that by rotatable movement slides thebars and rocks the slats, substantially as described.

7. In a-vcntilating car-door, the combination, with a door-frame andslats rotatably supported thereon at their ends, of a notched slide-barengaging the slats, an eccentric which will longitudinally move the barwhen rotated, a hinged folding handle-bar, and projections on the doorninety degrees removed whereon the handle-bar may be locked,substantially as described.

8. In a ventilating car-door, the combination, with a car-door framehaving two apertures divided by a center rail and a series of slat-sjournaled by their ends in the frameapertures, of two connectedslat-working bars that engage the slats and rock them when the bars areslid longitudinally, an eccentric supported to rotate in the connectionsof the bars, a shaft and a crank to support and rotate the eccentric, ahandle-bar hinge-jointed to fold and apertured to engage staples, andstaples ninety degrees removed which may be separately engaged by theapertured bar, substantially as described.

9. In a ventilating car door, the combination, with a rectangular framehaving an intermediate center rail, of two series of spaced slatsjournaled in the center rail and side rails of the door-frame, aslat-worker having two similarly-notched bars held parallel by cross-bars and adapted to engage their notches with reduced portions of theslats, said bars having a sliding engagement with the side edges of thecenter rail of the door and loosely secured thereon to slide, ancecentric-disk loosely held in a frame on the center rail of the doornear its lower end, a shaftprojected at right angles to said disk andcenter rail and located between two cross-bars of the slat-workerdevice, a capplate on said center rail through which the eccentric-shaftpasses, and a folding handlebar adapted to engage one of two staplesninety degrees distant 011 the cap-plate and when interlocked therewithretain the slats in open or closed condition, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a ventilating car-door, a device for actuating a series of spacedjournaled slats in the door-frame, comprising a pair of parallelconnected notched bars embracing the side edges of the center rail ofthe door and interlocking loosely with the spaced slats, an eccentricdisk supported on a frame and adapted to slide the slat-worker whenrotatably moved, a shaft engaging the disk eccentrically and journaledin a cap-plate affixed to the face of the center rail of the door,having two staples located ninety degrees distant from each otherrespectively in a horizontal and a vertical plane, and a handle-barhinged 'to the outer end of the eccentric-shaft, adapted to fold overeither staple and retain the slats open or closed, substantially asdescribed.

' JOHN SMITH.

Witnesses:

BARrnoLoMEw DONOVAN, Josnrn P. DAILY.

